A wellness project is launched in Tembisa

A new project to promote better morale among health care professionals was launched by the Gauteng Provincial Government at Tembisa Hospital.

Gauteng MEC for Health, Bandile Masuku, launched the Employee Value Proposition programme to help address challenges that staff face and ensure that there is a happy work environment at the hospital. The launch, which took place on 10 October, also coincided with World Mental Health Day.

Masuku said, “Our staff work under very challenging conditions and we have an obligation as a department to make them feel appreciated and acknowledged…we strongly believe that a happy doctor, a happy nurse, a happy clerk and general worker translate through to a happy patient.”

He emphasised that the programme wouldn’t be used to undermine healthcare workers’ genuine concerns but rather give them a platform to share these concerns. Masuku said that issues such as employment safety, better working conditions and facilities and better equipment and tools of trade will still be important to address. “There is a misconception that EVP will be a solution to all our problems in the department but it is certainly not, but it will impact on the staff wellness, retention of staff and productivity levels.”

Tembisa Hospital, which serves many residents within the Midrand community, is one of 10 hospitals that will receive focused attention from the Department of Health in terms of essential improvements and support.

Programme coordinator Elizabeth Thebe, explained that the programme aims to create a positive attitude within staff. She said that there are often many negative perceptions about healthcare workers and they hope that the programme will help create a positive, caring work force. She added that the programme will allow staff to engage with the leaders within the department and explain where there might be gaps in leadership and how this can be solved.

“We want you to come on board with us, we want you to stop spending five hours talking about problems, because we know the problems, we instead want to spend our energy on solving those problems.”

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